This Little Light of Mine
by It'sAnOutrage
Summary: The longest Leo has ever stayed at an orphanage is one year. All because of his first friend, Sunshine Avery. But the Fates are cruel, and Sunshine is forced to leave with the Willilams family. Three years later, Leo and Sunshine meet again at Camp Half-Blood. Old feelings are uncovered, but some people don't agree with those feelings. Will their love survive?
1. Prologue

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**Disclaimer: The only thing I will ever own is Sunny…**

"Hey," a girl whispered. "Hey," a boy breathed back. "Have you heard? A couple is coming to adopt today." The girl laughed bitterly. "As if we had a chance, Leo."

The boy pouted. "Sunny, you know that isn't true. I'm sure there are plenty of people who want to adopt two orphaned teenagers." She sighed, running her hands through her golden locks. "Even if they do, we'll still be separated. They would never take us together."

Leo took her hand in his. "Don't be so pessimistic. This is our chance for a better life. And if we are separated, we'll run. Name a place and that's where we'll go."

Sunny smiled sadly. "Alright. I have always wanted to go to Los Angeles…" He grinned. "The city of angels it is. Now come on, we better go downstairs." The pair of friends headed towards the lobby, heads filled with their plans of escape.

All the other children of the orphanage were gathered in the lobby, cautiously eyeing the young strangers seated on one of the couches. Mr. Long, the director, cleared his throat. "Children, this is Mr. and Mrs. Williams. They are looking to adopt a teenage girl."

Sunny and Leo exchanged worried glances. This is exactly what they had been afraid of. "They will be talking to everyone who fits this description," Mr. Long informed us.

Mrs. Williams stood up and placed herself in front of Sunny. "What's your name, sweet pea?" Sunny took a deep breath and answered, "Sunshine Avery." Mrs. Williams raised her eyebrows. "That's an…interesting name. How old are you?"

Sunny fidgeted. "I'm thirteen." Mrs. Williams smiled. "That's perfect! Neal, come here and meet Sunshine!" Mr. Williams strutted over. "How do you do, Sunshine?"

Leo faked a cough that sounded suspiciously like _Nutcase! _Sunny stifled a giggle. "I'm doing fine, thank you." Mr. Williams flashed her his bleached-white teeth. "Adorable! Gina, darling, isn't she just so adorable?"

Mrs. Williams was saved from replying when Mr. Williams said, "Do you have any hobbies? Favorites?" Sunny pulled at a string on her sweater. "Um, I love music and singing. And, er, red. That's my favorite color, I guess."

He nodded vigorously. "Red is such a strong color. Hm. Music. That's wonderful! My dear Gina is a music teacher at a school. Yes, I think you will do. Mr. Long! I must talk to you in your office."

Mr. Long motioned for everyone to go back to their dorms. Leo and Sunny practically ran.

When they were in the safety of the gray orphanage sleeping quarter, Leo flopped on to his bed and fell into hysterics.

Sunny stared at him skeptically. "What's your deal?" He calmed down a bit and answered, "That…guy is…mental!" She rolled her cerulean eyes. "Yeah. And by this time tomorrow I might be living with the lunatic and his equally crazy wife!"

Leo instantly sobered. "Aw, Sunny D, don't be a buzzkill! I'm sure they wouldn't take someone as boring as you!" Sunny glared at him. "Can't you take anything seriously? I could really be leaving this stupid pile of bricks forever! Don't you care that I may never see you again?"

He put his arm over her shoulder. "Of course I do! But I think you're overreacting. Even if they do decide to adopt a grumpy stick-in-the-mud, they'd have to pick you up tomorrow. And I think we have to be in California by then."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Mr. Long poked his head in. "Sunshine, pack your bags. The Williams's have chosen to take you today." Leo opened and closed his mouth furiously. "But they can't! They're supposed to do it tomorrow!"

Mr. Long rubbed his temples. "Yes, I am aware, but they have made it very clear that they want her today. Now, Sunshine, you have ten minutes to pack all of your things." With that, he exited their room.

Sunny put her head in her hands. "I told you!" Leo patted her back comfortingly. "This isn't the end, okay? I promise."

She nodded and silently started putting her things in her black duffel bag. She should've known. This is how life always was. Unfair and taking so much more than it ever gave. She threw an old pajama shirt into the bag.

"Leo, how is this going to play out? Am I just supposed to…go with them?" He bit his lip. "There's nowhere else to go. Not in five minutes. Look, maybe the guy is a bit wacko. He probably isn't a complete nutjob. He seems like a nice guy overall."

Sunny rubbed her arm. "What about you?" Leo grinned weakly. "Ah, I'll be fine. Now come on. Let's go start your new life!"

They slowly went downstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Williams were waiting by the orphanage's giant windows. Sunny couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She let them flow freely as she hugged Leo one last time.

Mrs. Williams cleared her throat. "Shall we go?" Sunny started to leave when Leo called her name. "Sunny! Wait."

She whirled around. "Yes?" Leo pulled her close to him. "I'll see you again. I swear it." He leaned in to her face and kissed her.

It was magical, but like all good things, it had to end. Sunny withdrew and walked out the door without looking back.


	2. Chapter 1-Sunny

**Hey guys, I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! School has been crazy, so I haven't had time. I will update every Saturday, and whenever I can during the week. Review!**

**Disclaimer: I thought I would own Percy Jackson by now, but I don't.**

_**Three Years Later**_

Camp Half-Blood. That was my home now. The Williams were nice enough, until I began attracting monsters. Of course, they couldn't see them, but whatever they saw was bad enough to kick me out. Percy found me on the streets, alone.

Life got kind of better after that. I got claimed by Apollo, and shortly after participated in the Second Titan War. But now, Percy was missing. The whole camp was devastated.

Annabeth had supposedly gotten a dream that told her to go to Nevada. Will freaked out when she asked to borrow his precious chariot. He let her eventually, since this was Percy we were talking about.

I sighed and grabbed my headphones from my backpack. My father had given me an enchanted iPod as an apology of sorts for abandoning me. It never ran out of battery, and it didn't attract monsters. A pretty cool gift, I guess.

I took out my bow and arrows from under my bed and went to the archery range. It was mostly empty, except for my half-sister Leah. "Hey," I called. She whirled around. "Hey Sunshine. What's up?"

I shrugged. "Nothing. I figured I would practice." Leah rolled her eyes. "You're the best archer in camp. Why are you really here?" "Um, well, I'm worried about Annabeth. If she doesn't find Percy, she'll go insane. She deserves happiness, especially after this summer."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Yeah. I don't know what's going on with the gods, but I know it's not good." I bit my lip. "I hope it clears up soon." Leah nodded. "Well, I told Connor I'd help him with some prank. I'll catch you later, 'kay?" "Sure, that's cool. Don't get too carried away!" She mock pouted at me and hurried off.

I put my songs on shuffle and waited until Love Like War by All Time Low came on. I nocked an arrow, aiming at the target. I let it fly, watching it hit the outer ring of target. I frowned. That never happened. I must've been more concerned than I'd let myself believe.

I reset my bow and was about to shoot when a giant crash from the lake interrupted my thoughts. I dropped my things and ran towards the sound.

Our golden chariot lay on the side of the lake, broken and smoldering. Annabeth sat dripping wet with three other teens. "What the heck?" I exclaimed, before rushing to Annabeth. "Will said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it! Are you okay? Did you find him?" She shook her head glumly.

"No. I don't know what happened, Shine! The dream said…" I put my arm around her shoulder. "We will find him. I can feel it. Who are the others? They look way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed?"

"Claimed?" A voice I'd almost forgotten asked. I spun to face it and nearly passed out. "Oh my gods." Leo's familiar face looked at me. "Leo?" I whispered. His mouth dropped open. "Sunshine?"

Annabeth narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You two know each other?" I ignored her. Leo crashed into me and wrapped his arms around my torso. "Sunny, I thought I'd never see you again!" He murmured into my hair.

"I missed you," I said. One of the other teenagers cleared her throat. "Um, Leo, you never told us you had a girlfriend."

I blushed scarlet and let go of him. "It's not like that." Annabeth stood up and put her hand on her hip. "Please explain." I fidgeted. "Uh, Leo was my best friend before I came here." The brown-haired girl glanced at us skeptically. "Right." I straightened. "Yeah, well."

Drew from the Aphrodite cabin stepped forward. "Now that the little drama fest is finished, I hope they're worth the trouble."

Leo snorted. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?" "No kidding," the blonde boy said. "How about some answers before you start judging us-like what is this place, why are we here, and how long do we have to stay?"

"Jason," Annabeth said, "I promise we'll answer your questions. And Drew, all demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit, the trip didn't accomplish what I'd hope for."

"Hey," the brunette said," we didn't ask to be brought here." Drew sniffed. "And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?"

Annoyance filled my chest, shoving away the shock from finding Leo. "Gods, Drew. She just fell off of a chariot. What's your excuse?" The girl looked at me gratefully. Drew glared.

Annabeth put her hands up. "Enough! We need to make all new demigods feel welcome! We'll assign them cabins, give them a tour of the camp. Hopefully, they'll be claimed at the campfire."

Suddenly, there was a collective gasp. Floating over Leo's head was a fiery hammer, the sign of Hephaestus.

"Vulcan," the blonde, Jason, whispered. All eyes turned to him. "How did you know that?" Annabeth asked. "I'm not sure."

"Vulcan?" Leo exclaimed. "I don't even LIKE Star Trek!" Annabeth turned to me. "Please show Leo the camp." "But Annabeth-" "Just do it! Don't you want an excuse to make out with Jake?" I looked at her, hurt. "Whatever. Come on, Leo."

As soon as we got out of earshot, Leo asked, "Sunny, how did you get here? And why am I here?" I rubbed my temples. "We're what you call demigods. The Greek gods, well, they're real. Sometimes they get frisky and come down to earth to be with mortals. We're the result."

He stared at me. "You're serious?" I nodded. "Yup. Camp Half-Blood is a safe place for people like us." "Who's Jake?" I froze. "Um…he's my boyfriend." Leo stiffened. "Oh. Continue the tour, then."

**Hey y'all! I hope that didn't stink too much. Please review, even if they're flames. I want to know how I'm doing! Until the next update**

**-It'sAnOutrage **


	3. Chapter 3 - Leo

**I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: All credit goes to Rick Riordan except for Sunshine **

Typically I had to say something like that and ruin the moment. Sunny had looked genuinely happy to see me, until I opened my fat mouth and came off sounding like a jealous idiot.

I mean, of course she had a boyfriend! Sunny was the prettiest girl I'd ever seen. With her big blue doe eyes and her dazzling smile, she'd be certain to grab any guy's attention.

It was bound to happen sooner or later, but I couldn't stop myself from feeling envious of this Jake character. Hadn't our kiss meant anything to her?

It sure had to me. I played it over in my head every day, almost tasting her cherry chap stick on my lips again. And then she'd walked away. Not even pausing to look back. Why would she, though? I was just a scrawny boy from Houston.

"Leo?" Sunny's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Yes?" She sighed. "I asked you if you wanted me to show you the arts and crafts building before we went to your cabin."

Sunny had explained to me about the whole Greek myths and gods thing being real. It was a bit hard to believe, but I trusted her.

I nodded. "Yeah, okay." "So how have you been?" she asked, absentmindedly playing with one of her rubber bracelets. "Pretty good. Better now that you're here." She frowned slightly.

"I really missed you." "Me too, Sunny D. On a brighter note, now you don't have to miss this amazing Latino anymore." She laughed. Her laugh sounded like wind chimes, light and airy.

"Good to hear. Anyways, this is the arts and crafts building. You can make sculptures out of chainsaws, make weapons, or just do normal painting and things."

I put a hand on my chin in mock thought. "I think I'll take a chainsaw." She shook her head amusedly, sending her blonde ponytail swinging. "Duh. You're Leo. Hurry up, we still have a bunch of stuff to see."

I grinned mischievously. "Race you." She stared at me. "You don't even know where we're going." I shrugged. "I can figure it out." "Wait, but-" I cut her off, "One, two, three, GO!"

I ran madly, trying to outrun Sunny. She passed me quickly and leaned against a cabin that appeared to be made of metal.

She smirked at me. "Beat you." I stuck my tongue out at her. "I let you win." She scoffed. "I'm so sure. Anyways, this is the Hephaestus cabin. He's the Greek god of fire, and your father." I did a double take. "For real?" "Yup. Now come on, doofus, your new home awaits."

We entered the cabin. The door opened with lots of brass gears turning and hydraulic pistons blowing smoke. I whistled. "They got a steampunk theme going on, huh?"

Inside, the cabin seemed deserted. Steel bunks were folded against the walls like high-tech Murphy beds. Each had a digital control panel, blinking LED lights, glowing gems, and interlocking gears. There was so much to take it that it was hard to breathe.

I turned to talk to Sunny, but she had gravitated towards the back of the room. "Jake!" she screeched. "Hey Sunny D," a raspy voice answered. I felt anger surge through my body. Sunny D was _my _nickname for her.

A dark curtain of camouflage retreated from one of the beds, and I could see a guy who'd been invisible a second ago. It was hard to tell much about him because he was in a body cast.

His head was wrapped in gauze except for his face, which was puffy and bruised. He looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy after a beat down.

"You know what I hate the most about being hurt, boo?" he asked. Sunny raised her eyebrows. "What?" "I can't kiss you." She giggled. "I guess you'll just have to make it up to me then."

I cleared my throat. "Um, I'm still here." Sunny flushed apologetically. "Sorry! Jake, this is Leo Valdez. Leo, this is my boyfriend Jake Mason. He's the head counselor of the Hephaestus cabin."

Jake huffed. "Glad to have you, Rico." I scowled. "It's Leo." "Right." Sunny coughed awkwardly. "So, Jake, do you have any spare beds for Leo?"

Jake studied me, sizing me up. "Do you believe in curses? Or ghosts?" I froze. "Uh, no. A storm spirit chucked me down the Grand Canyon, but you know, all in a day's work, right?"

He nodded. "That's good, because I'll give you the best bed in the cabin – Beckendorf's." "Whoa Jake," Sunny said. "You sure?"

Jake called out, "Bunk 1-A, please." A giant creak sounded through the walls and an enormous bed popped out. It had a glass refrigerator and a bunch of panels covering the back.

I flopped down on the bed. "Ahh, I could get used to this." Jake narrowed his eyes. Well, as much as he could. "That bed belongs to a dead man."

I sprang up. "But…he didn't die in here, right?" "No," Sunny said. "He died in the Second Titan War in Manhattan. He used to be the counselor."

I fidgeted. "The Second Titan War that has nothing to do with this very fine bed, right?" Sunny sighed. "Absolutely nothing. We'll let you sleep now, Jake. I'm going to show Leo the forges."

Jake said, "Actually, I need to talk to Leo for a minute. Do you mind waiting outside, boo?" Sunny hesitated. "Um, okay. Catch you later, babe." She exited the cabin.

As soon as she left, Jake glared at me full out. "I don't want to start off on the wrong foot, but I will say this. Stay away from my girl, got it?"

I swallowed. "It's not like that, I swear." "Sure it isn't. I see the way you look at her, Valdez. And if anything happens between you two, I swear that the moment I get this cast off I will murder you. Are we clear?"

I nodded rapidly. "Uh, I should go. I don't want to keep Sunny waiting." I sprinted out the door. Sunny stared at me skeptically. "Are you okay?"

"Your boyfriend is _mucho_ jealous. He gave me this whole lecture about you not being available." She burst out laughing. "He thinks we like each other? Ha! As if."

My heart broke a little when she said that, but I pretended otherwise. "Yeah, that'll never happen. Hey, you never told me. Who's your godly parent?" She smiled.

"Apollo, god of the sun. Here are the forges. I should probably let you go in alone, since it's sort of a family moment. See you around, Leo."

"See you around."

**Yay, I did it! Please please please review, I need to know if this is good or bad. Until the next update.**

**-It'sAnOutrage**

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